Notable NFL players on national anthem protest

By STEPHEN COHEN

on September 25, 2017 11:58 AM

Scroll through the gallery ahead to see how NFL players have responded to the national anthem protests.

Scroll through the gallery ahead to see how NFL players have responded to the national anthem protests.

Scroll through the gallery ahead to see how NFL players have...photo-14365393.164550 - |ucfirst

Colin Kaepernick, former NFL quarterback: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Colin Kaepernick, former NFL quarterback: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be

Charles Woodson, former NFL defensive back: "When we talk about Colin Kaepernick and the stand that he’s taking, he’s saying, ‘Look, let there be justice for all of us.' ... So I actually applaud him for having the gall to stand up when he knew what kind of ridicule he was going to get, when most people would not do it, when he knew the backlash he was going to get."

Charles Woodson, former NFL defensive back: "When we talk about Colin Kaepernick and the stand that he’s taking, he’s saying, ‘Look, let there be justice for all of us.' ... So I actually applaud him for

Michael Bennett, Seahawks defensive end: "I love hot dogs, like any other American. I love football like any other American. But I don't love segregation. I don't love riots. I don't love oppression. I don't love gender slander. And I just want to see people have equality that they deserve. "

Michael Bennett, Seahawks defensive end: "I love hot dogs, like any other American. I love football like any other American. But I don't love segregation. I don't love riots. I don't love oppression. I don't

Richard Sherman, Seahawks cornerback: "People are so worried about (Michael Bennett) sitting down during the National Anthem that they completely miss that message a lot of times. They want to be more angry at the action than the message. That is an unfortunate part of the world we live in nowadays. I wish that people would take it for what it is and make a difference and go out there and try and combat against racism, fascism, unnecessary violence, guys being discriminated against, you know, he was doing nothing wrong."

Richard Sherman, Seahawks cornerback: "People are so worried about (Michael Bennett) sitting down during the National Anthem that they completely miss that message a lot of times. They want to be more angry

Justin Britt, Seahawks center: " I'm not against what the flag means and veterans. My dad was in the Army. So I'm not putting any disrespect to them. I'm just trying to understand the issues, trying to educate myself more in that regard and showing support."

Justin Britt, Seahawks center: " I'm not against what the flag means and veterans. My dad was in the Army. So I'm not putting any disrespect to them. I'm just trying to understand the issues, trying to

Arian Foster, former NFL running back: "If it's about the knee that people are upset about, every Sunday people of faith take a knee to give thanks to their Lord and savior, whatever faith or religion that they are. It's not about a knee ... it's about the message. They say it's not the time to do this, but when is the time?"

Arian Foster, former NFL running back: "If it's about the knee that people are upset about, every Sunday people of faith take a knee to give thanks to their Lord and savior, whatever faith or religion that

Eric Reid, 49ers safety: "It baffles me that our protest is still being misconstrued as disrespectful to the country, flag and military personnel. We chose it because it’s exactly the opposite. It has always been my understanding that the brave men and women who fought and died for our country did so to ensure that we could live in a fair and free society, which includes the right to speak out in protest. It should go without saying that I love my country and I’m proud to be an American. But, to quote James Baldwin, 'exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.'"

Eric Reid, 49ers safety: "It baffles me that our protest is still being misconstrued as disrespectful to the country, flag and military personnel. We chose it because it’s exactly the opposite. It has always

Doug Baldwin, Seahawks wide receiver: "The overwhelming and most profound message is that we claim to have equality and liberty for all people. And some people feel that's not the case. So maybe we should listen to them. Maybe we should listen to what their thoughts are and see if we can't be better."

Doug Baldwin, Seahawks wide receiver: "The overwhelming and most profound message is that we claim to have equality and liberty for all people. And some people feel that's not the case. So maybe we should

Marcus Peters, Chiefs cornerback: "I come from a majority black community from Oakland, California ... so the struggle, I seen it. I still have some family in the struggle. All I'm saying is we want to educate those, the youth that's coming up."

Marcus Peters, Chiefs cornerback: "I come from a majority black community from Oakland, California ... so the struggle, I seen it. I still have some family in the struggle. All I'm saying is we want to educate

Wesley Woodyard, Titans linebacker: "I feel like America is in a bad place right now, with all the racial tension. We have to be better than our ancestors were. It's 2017, and we're still struggling with issues we had in the 1930s."

Wesley Woodyard, Titans linebacker: "I feel like America is in a bad place right now, with all the racial tension. We have to be better than our ancestors were. It's 2017, and we're still struggling with

DeSean Jackson, Buccaneers wide receiver: "I felt the need to do it. I felt like I’ve been silent long enough. It’s a bigger problem out there in the communities, in our society, things like the type of situations (where) people losing their lives, families like that. Little kids going home and not having their parents no more because of crazy things going on; so as far as the response, whatever the response is, that’s what it is, but I felt that it was time for me to make a stance and speak up on it."

DeSean Jackson, Buccaneers wide receiver: "I felt the need to do it. I felt like I’ve been silent long enough. It’s a bigger problem out there in the communities, in our society, things like the type of

Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles safety: "There's just a lot of things systematically that have been set up in this country since its inception that really ... put minorities, especially African Americans, at a disadvantage. ... So we want to continue to keep that conversation going, push it to as many people as we can, obviously while also doing our part in bringing forth change.."

Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles safety: "There's just a lot of things systematically that have been set up in this country since its inception that really ... put minorities, especially African Americans, at a

Chris Long, Eagles defensive end: "There are some people who say they don’t want politics in sports. I don’t remember a time when fighting white supremacy was a political issue, but evidently it is for a couple people in this country, and that’s unfortunate."

Chris Long, Eagles defensive end: "There are some people who say they don’t want politics in sports. I don’t remember a time when fighting white supremacy was a political issue, but evidently it is for a